Dropping a few cases of drugs and food
in the middle of the night
during air raids... is virtually useless
and may even be dangerous.
Paris - Yesterday the American and British forces launched air strikes
on
Afghanistan following the massacre of 6,000 people in New York and
Washington on September 11th. This attack was accompanied by what is
described as a 'humanitarian' operation, designed to gain public support
for
these bombings.
This is not a humanitarian operation. It is part of a military campaign
designed to gather international approval of the attacks led by the
United States.
Dropping a few cases of drugs and food in the middle of the night during
air
raids, without knowing who is going to collect them, is virtually useless
and may even be dangerous. What sense is there in shooting with one
hand and
distributing medicines with the other?
How will the Afghan population know in the future if an offer of
humanitarian aid does not hide a military operation? Furthermore, the
confusion between military and humanitarian operations only increases
the
danger for already complicated humanitarian action, limiting even further
the possibilities of intervention.
Médecins Sans Frontières therefore rejects the idea of
a humanitarian
coalition alongside the military coalition, as requested by president
Bush
and Prime Minister Blair, and calls for the imperative necessity of
independent humanitarian action.
MSF casts doubt on military's 'humanitarian airdrops' in Afghanistan
Airdrops of food and medical aid described as of 'negligible value'
and
'potentially dangerous'
Press release, Islamabad, October 8, 2001
The international medical aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF), which
has been working in Afghanistan since 1979, today cast doubt on the
so-called 'humanitarian airdrops' by US and British military forces,
which
have accompanied the military strikes against Afghanistan over the
last
24-hours. Such action does not answer the needs of the Afghan people
and is
likely to undermine attempts to deliver substantial aid to the most
vulnerable.
MSF's Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, speaking from Pakistan, explained
that the
so-called 'humanitarian' action, was in fact a purely propaganda tool,
of
little real value to the Afghan people.
Moreover, the deliberate adoption by the military of a 'humanitarian'
purpose, was likely to cause real problems for truly independent
non-governmental aid organisations who are less likely to be perceived
as
impartial actors in the future.
"How will the Afghan population know in the future if an offer of
humanitarian aid does not hide a military operation?" questions Dr
Bradol.
"We have seen many times before, for example in Somalia, the problems
caused for both the vulnerable population and for aid agencies when
the
military try to both fight a war and deliver aid at the same time."
Dr Bradol explained that the real impact of the much-vaunted 37,500
single
day rations on the burgeoning nutritional crisis within Afghanistan
was
likely to be minimal.
"What is needed is large scale convoys of basic foodstuffs, rather than
single meals designed for soldiers. Until yesterday the UN and aid
agencies
such as ourselves were still able to get some food convoys into Afghanistan.
Due to the airstrikes the UN have stopped all convoys, and we will
find
delivering aid also much more difficult."
Doctors from MSF also expressed concern at the reported airdropping
of
medical supplies. "Medical relief is not the same as dropping medicines
by
plane. Unless they are administered by qualified medical staff, medicines
can actually do more harm than good", said Dr Bradol. "Dropping a few
cases
of drugs and food in the middle of the night during air raids, without
knowing who is going to collect them, is virtually useless and may
even
be dangerous".
Médecins Sans Frontières therefore rejects the idea of
a humanitarian
coalition alongside the military coalition, as requested by President
Bush
and Prime Minister Blair, and calls for the imperative necessity of
independent humanitarian action.
In order to remove MSF from the growing confusion between independent
humanitarian relief and Tony Blair's proposed 'humanitarian coalition',
MSF
is at present not accepting any further funding from governments
involved for its aid work during the crisis.